The Significance of Education in Chinese Culture
A good education has always been highly valued in China, as the people believe that education ensures not only the future and development of the individual but also the family and the country as a whole.
Passed down from ancient times, the maxim from the Three Char- acter Scripture that says “if no proper education is given to children, their nature will go bad” has proved to be true. The great master Confu- cius taught us that “it is a pleasure to learn something and to try it out at intervals”. Similarly, numerous students have been convinced that “reading books excels all other careers”. The records tell us that Men- cius’ mother became an example to millions of mothers who were keen for their children to be talented—she moved her home three times in order to choose a fine neighborhood in which Mencius could be effectively influenced.
The Historical Development of Educational Systems
As far back as the Shang Dynasty, inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells were the simple records of teaching and learning. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, nobles built schools to teach their children, as their off- spring would be the officials of the future, while those who were gifted but of poor families could but dream of approaching state affairs. The development of education system led to a form of evaluation that be- came the means by which dynastic China appointed those with talents as officials. In general, this process can be divided into three periods— “Chaju”and “Zhengpi” in the Han Dynasty, the “Jiu Pin Zhong Zheng” (Nine rank) system from the Han to the Northern and Southern dynas- ties, and“keju”(Imperial Examination) which survived from the Sui Dynasty right through to the last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty.
After that, China’s education system fell into something of a state of confusion due to the changes in national government. However, with the foundation of modern China, the new order introduced a fresh ap- proach to education and brought it into a new phase. Through long- term endeavor, the provision of educational has taken on a prosperous process.
The Imperial Examination: A Pillar of Ancient Talent Selection
The system of the Imperial Examination became the method by which talented people were recognized and selected for future positions in civil service. It enjoyed a long and dominant position in the history of ancient Chinese education.
The imperial examinations comprised two parts namely, an arts exam and the Wushu exam. The arts exam included composition, study of books, laws, calligraphy, paintings and so on, while the wushu examination was used for selecting military officials, but was not subject to the same degree of importance as the arts exam.
In the ancient society, class consciousness was strong and many people from lower classes had little chance to reach high office, let alone had any position in the official court. But once the “Keju” evaluation system was introduced, children from poor families had opportunities to attend the government exams, and this enabled them to bring honor to their families. Also, there was a special exam for smart little chil- dren—“Tongzi Ju”, which was similar in many ways to today’s special classes for gifted children. Thus regardless of parentage, or age, nearly all males were eligible to realize their self-development.
The Imperial Examination system began to be put into practice in the Sui Dynasty and lasted more than 1,300 years until the last examination during the Qing Dynasty. In the Sui Dynasty when the many separate states were unified into a whole, to enforce the centralization of power, the emperor realized the need for a strong, well-educated civil service, one that employed the best talents in the land. To bring this into effect, the most influential system was initiated and substituted for what had gone before “Jiu Pin Zhong Zheng”.
The Tang Dynasty adopted the personnel selection system and gradually refined it. The main subjects of the examinations were writing and study of classical books, which were the most popular, as well as mathematics, law, calligraphy, etc. Most of the prime ministers during that feudal period were titled “Jinshi”and were good at writing.
The candidates almost always came from two sources. These were students of official schools and also intelligent people undergoing the exams in their local county, who were entitled “Juren” when they achieved the necessary qualifications to take the central government ex- aminations held each spring.
Candidates who passed the highest level of the Imperial Examina- tion would have a promising future as court officials. The most suc- cessful scholar was then granted the title of “Zhuangyuan”, the second “Bangyan”, and the third “Tanhua”.
Successful candidates not only relied on the exam result but sometimes also upon the recommendation and instruction of a notable person with authority. The Imperial Examination system was abandoned for a time under the Yuan Dynasty, and completely abolished in 1905 before the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
The Imperial Examination System influenced education systems in many other countries like Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, and similarities can be found in the personnel selection methods employed in France, America and Britain. Today’s education system in China is surely its successor.
The Evolution of Institutions of Higher Education
The highest state educational institute in ancient China began with the “Taixue” or National University in the Han Dynasty. In the Sui Dy- nasty it was changed to Imperial College. During the Tang and the Song dynasties, the National University and the Imperial College joined to- gether. In the Yuan, the Ming and the Qing dynasties, only the Imperial College remained.
One of the remaining sites of the Imperial College is in Guozijian Street in Beijing. The central building in it is called “Piyong”, which was derived from the name of the national university established by the supreme rulers of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The Piyong in the Imperial College was a place where the emperor gave lectures. In the Qing Dynasty emperors Qianlong, Daoguang and Xianfeng gave lectures here. In the Ming and the Qing dynasties, the Imperial College was a place where the emperor gave lectures. In the Qing Dynasty emperors Qianlong, Daoguang and Xianfeng gave lectures here. In the Ming and the Qing dynasties, the Imperial College was a place to train functionaries for the state. So the instructors were selected according to strict criteria. They were all famous writers or scholars. The students in the Imperial College studied three or four years. After graduation, they could directly go to government institutions at differ- ent levels, or alternatively, pass the national imperial examination and become Jinshi, and then be appointed to different official posts by the emperor.
The Opium War in 1840 demonstrated to some Chinese intellectu- als the gap between China and the West. The enlightenment thinker Wei Yuan proposed that China could not be strong until it trained people with special capabilities. Later the principle “Chinese learning as base Western learning for application” was formed. Some people tried to learn Western science and technology while maintaining the tradi- tional ethics. Intellectual reformers realized that to survive China must radically transform her education and cultivate people who absorbed new ideas. As the Western progressive culture and education system were introduced into China, the first new-style school, the Institute of Diplomatic Relations, was founded in 1862. And in 1902 it merged into China’s first modern national university—Metropolitan University. Metropolitan University was established in 1898. In 1905 the Qing government abolished the system of imperial examinations, closed the Imperial College, and established the Education Ministry. The Imperial College quitted history. In 1912 the Metropolitan University was re- named Beijing University.
